Ten acts to catch at The Great Escape festival 2022

Here are some of the acts on our radar you won't want to miss out on...

Scattered across the very best venues and stages Brighton has to offer, The Great Escape festival is welcomed to the pebbled East Sussex shoreline each year to kickstart summer and celebrate the most exciting emerging talent from the UK and beyond.

This year, the festival spans the second weekend of May with an impressive line up of over 500 artists to give any regular fun-seeker a serious case of FOMO. With such a varied range of acts booked in for the latest edition, deciding who to see might seem like a difficult task. Luckily, we’ve picked out 10 acts on our radar who are some of the weekend’s must-sees…

Bawo

West London rapper Bawo’s silky and boundless hip hop sound is a product of his eclectic musical taste. We tipped the emerging talent as one of the most exciting artists for 2022 – you can read the article here. Using thought provoking, metaphorical wordplay and his natural ability to make any beat he spits on his own, Bawo is landing in Brighton with a heap of momentum from the year so far.

Casisdead

Bursting back onto the scene after a lengthy hiatus from releasing music, the elusive masked rapper will be making the journey to East Sussex this weekend to show why he continues to be one of the most enigmatic artists in the UK. Taking residence at Coalition on Friday evening, this rare appearance from Casisdead promises to be one to remember.

Deema

Carving out a unique sound where grime and UK hip hop collides, Deema‘s refined, chilled-out vibe is the perfect match for the Brighton-based festival. He’ll be taking stage downstairs in Patterns on Thursday night to show what he’s all about.

Dréya Mac

West London Native Dréya Mac caused a stir with her recent single ‘Ain’t No Way’ – which earned a spot in our NEXT HYPE playlist round up – and will be looking to take some of the same fun and braggadocious energy to both of her gigs at The Great Escape. Gaining popularity at a rapid rate, you’ll want to catch this inimitable talent while you still can.

Girls Don’t Sync

Travelling 130bpm down the M1 towards Brighton for this year’s festival, Girls Don’t Sync are an act you won’t want to miss out on. Soundtracked by transatlantic basslines and rattling percussion, the 4-piece DJ collective are one of the most exciting emerging dance acts coming out of the UK right now and will make sure to bring the party.

Jelani Blackman

West London’s Jelani Blackman has steadily emerged as one of the city’s most vibrant and unique voices in recent times, blending his childhood influences of soul and R&B with the raw energy and attitude of grime. He’s readying up for two performances at this year’s The Great Escape, playing Revenge on Thursday and Patterns on Saturday.

Jeshi

East London rapper Jeshi’s reflective, cutting-edge hip-hop has got him co-signed by slowthai and Vegyn. Embodying the creative flair that makes The Great Escape a special festival, it’s no surprise that his performance at the Amazon New Music Stage on Saturday is getting people so excited.

Kam-BU

After grafting and honing his craft in London’s underground music circles, Kam-BU has arrived at a place where he’s ready to share his voice with the world. Still flying high from 2021’s renowned ‘Black on Black’ EP, the rising talent is poised to make waves on the Brighton shoreline at Patterns this Thursday.

Miso Extra

Cartwheeling between English and Japanese wordplay, bi-lingual artist Miso Extra will be bringing her unique sound to The Great Escape this year. Her dreamy music explores a variety of themes such as femininity, female empowerment and being of mixed heritage.

Moonchild Sanelly

Moonchild Sanelly’s brand of electro-pop-ghetto-funk has gained her a reputation as one of South Africa’s most unique artists. Her electrifying stage presence and infectious energy is poised to be one of the highlights of the weekend. Moonchild Sanelly is performing at our THEOREM x DMY show in Paris on June 16. Tickets can be purchased here.

Be sure to check out The Great Escape website to find out more about the artists, stages, labels and brands being showcased at this year’s festival, as well as the schedule for the 2022 conference, which will explore the ins and outs of the music industry across a number of talks and events.

The Great Escape has launched a mobile app to help festival and conference goers navigate the mammoth line-up of 500+ artists and build their own personal schedule. It’s available for free download here.

Tickets for The Great Escape festival are available now and are on sale here.